1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an apparatus for quickly acquiring image information of a subject, and more particularly to an apparatus for accurately acquiring and quickly processing image information regardless of geometric shape of a subject by variously arranging optical devices in accordance with a shape of the subject and purpose of image acquisition.
2. Description of the Related Art
Recently, in order to acquire image information for various examinations of a product in an automatic production line of various industries, a vision system which is provided with convenience and multiple functions and easily standardized even in process application is widely used.
An industrial vision system generally includes a CCD (Charge Coupled Device) camera having a CCD chip in which photosensitive devices in a pixel unit are integrated at high density so as to precisely acquire image information, a frame grabber for periodically (generally per 33 msec) acquiring and digitalizing the image information obtained by the CCD camera, and a computer for processing the digitalized image information in accordance with the purpose of image information acquisition.
The conventional vision system described above is advantageous in the fact that it may precisely acquire image information of a subject, and particularly the image information may have various sizes if a lens system is additionally adopted. However, the conventional vision system has disadvantages as below.
First, since photosensitive devices are integrated only in a square or linear shape in the CCD chip of the camera of the vision system, an error is apt to occur between an original image of a subject and the obtained image information if the subject is curved or distorted.
Second, as previously described, since the vision system should periodically digitalize an image frame photographed by the CCD camera, a minimum critical time is required to acquire accurate image information. Accordingly, the vision system cannot acquire the image of the subject as precisely as its original performance in a fast process such as the total inspection (i.e., 100% inspection).
Third, the vision system requires significant costs for implementation and professional workers for coding computer programs to process the image information.